Wild Love

Wild Love is the first book in contemporary romance author Elsie Silver’s Rose Hill series. Set in the fictional town of Rose Hill, between Vancouver and Calgary, the stories focus on small-town romance amid stunning Canadian landscapes. Rosie Belmont returns to her childhood home, determined to start fresh. Rose Hill offers her a chance to rebuild her life and sense of self. However, she finds out that her brother’s best friend and her childhood nemesis, Ford Grant, Jr., lives next door. Being close to Ford forces Rosie to reexamine her feelings and redefine her vision of a fulfilled life. Rose Hill is Silver’s third series, following the Chestnut Springs and Gold Rush Ranch series. The Chestnut Springs series overlaps with Wild Love since Willa, the best friend of protagonist Summer from Flawless, is Ford’s sister. The second book in the Chestnut Springs series, Heartless, tells Willa’s story of finding love with Cade. 

This guide refers to the 2024 Elsie Silver Literary Inc. e-book edition.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of sexual violence, death, mental illness, sexual content, and cursing.

Plot Summary

After Rosalie “Rosie” Belmont is sexually assaulted at her job and unjustly fired afterward, she decides to leave her life in Vancouver, including her two-year relationship with her boyfriend Ryan to seek peace and comfort in her childhood hometown, Rose Hill. Rosie’s brother, Weston (“West”), lives on the property with his two children, and Rosie hopes to spend some quiet time reflecting on how to move forward with her life. She’s surprised when she learns that West’s best friend, Ford Grant, Jr., has also returned to Rose Hill to open his recording studio, Rose Hill Records. As a teen, Rosie followed Ford and West around, relentlessly annoying them. She’s always believed thought Ford hated her because they were constantly arguing with each other. Despite that, Ford helped Rosie when her boyfriend Travis Lynch cheated on her, and he drove her home as she flung her diary out the window. Rosie doesn’t know that Ford has always had a crush on her and that ever since she moved to Vancouver, he’s kept up with her on social media, reigniting feelings that began a decade before.

Ford’s father is a famous musician who constantly encourages his children, Ford and Willa, to work hard. In college, Ford channeled his love of music into creating an app called Gramophone and purchasing a bar where new artists could perform. Although the app made Ford a billionaire, he found the world of the ultra-wealthy unfulfilling, and he returned to Rose Hill to start anew. Although he only spent summers in Rose Hill as a kid, being back there fills him with nostalgia for a simpler time. Everything changes when 12-year-old Cora Holland, Ford’s biological daughter from a sperm bank, unexpectedly shows up on his doorstep asking for help. Cora’s father has recently passed away, and her mother, Marilyn, needs treatment for depression. Ford takes Cora in, helps her mother enter treatment, and begins to learn how to parent a teenager.

When Rosie returns home, memories from the past come rushing back, making it difficult for Ford to concentrate on his work. Rosie persuades Ford to hire her as his office manager, and he reluctantly agrees. Rosie proves to be a capable businesswoman, skillfully managing the renovation of the old barn into an office.

Rosie stays in West’s bunkhouse but enjoys spending time on the dock by the lake she calls her own. Ford doesn’t argue, even though the dock is on his property. Rosie also begins picking Cora up from school and helping Ford connect with his daughter. Despite Rosie’s upbeat personality, Ford senses that something is off. She confides in him about what happened in Vancouver, and Ford vows to hold Rosie’s former employer accountable for the emotional damage.

Rosie helps Ford establish a bond with Cora through music. Their shared responsibilities draw them closer together, causing their emotional walls to crumble as they struggle to keep their relationship professional. Ford reveals that after Rosie threw her diary out the window, he returned and rescued it from the ditch. He has kept it all these years but has never read it. Rosie rips pages from the diary and leaves them on Ford’s desk. The entries reveal that Rosie didn’t hate Ford when they were teens. Willa comes to Rose Hill to meet Cora and encourages Ford to pursue his feelings for Rosie. Meanwhile, Ryan arrives to discuss his broken relationship with Rosie. After a heartfelt conversation, Rosie breaks up with Ryan, but seeing them together makes Ford feel jealous. Ford and Rosie kiss, and afterward, Rosie realizes that her feelings for him are genuine. They have sex but decide to keep their relationship secret, especially from West, as they’re unsure how he will react.

Ford joins West’s “dad” bowling league and shares the news about his relationship with Rosie. West is not surprised and fully supports their romance. When Ford’s parents arrive in Rose Hill, they meet Cora, and she instantly bonds with Ford Sr. over music; he even teaches her to play his guitar. Ford decides to purchase the building where Apex, Rosie’s former employer, is located and evicts them from the premises. He confides in West about the assault, and West volunteers to assist with the eviction process. Tensions rise when West punches Stan, Rosie’s former boss and attacker, and both end up in jail. Rosie is upset with Ford for sharing her story of the assault with West, as she believes it is her tale to tell. Ford collects West from jail and intends to press charges against Stan. To make amends, Ford apologizes to Rosie by gifting her part of his property, including the dock. He also proposes that she become his business partner in a new venture called Wild Rose Records. At the end of summer, Cora and her mother buy a house in Rose Hill, and Cora helps Ford plan a proposal for Rosie.